Twilight symbolism

With the introductions out of the way (see my previous post), it is time to begin to examine Twilight in a little more detail. Twilight falls into the romantic fantasy genre category because of Stephanie Meyer's use of vampires. These are not your grandparent's vampires. None of the old tricks work on them (garlic, crosses, wooden bullets) and they have superpowers (mind reading, future seeing, emotion manipulation). But they are still vampires and the use of vampires carries a historic set of symbols with them. And Meyer makes no attempt to deviate from these symbols.

Vampire literature has always been pretty straight forward in its symbolism. Picture most vampire movies and think of a neck-bite...what do you see? An erotic scene is a safe bet. Twilight is no different, but first a quick history lesson. Vampire stories were very popular in pre-Victorian and Victorian era England. Brothels were often visited by husbands. When they came home to their unsuspecting wife, they passed along a present...syphilis. Thus, the dark, sexual undercurrent of a vampire sinking his teeth into an innocent woman was a perfect parallel to society and it continues to be. Meyer does not shy away from this. A strong sensual and electric vibe is seen(the eyes, it is always the eyes) between Bella and Edward from early in the book and continues to develop throughout. He is continuously warning her he is dangerous. He cannot be trusted to control his urges around her. Edward works hard at it, but Bella's fragrance is nearly enough to drive him beyond self control. He wants her. He wants her bad. The symbolism is clear.

However, just to make sure the reader gets the point, Meyer drives it home like a nail in a coffin. Think of prom. Think of prom movies, especially those in the 80's. What is prom's, or more specifically after-prom's connotation? What goes on, or what does 'the guy' stereotypically want to make happen? Twilight ends with Bella and Edward at the prom, "And he leaned down to press his cold lips once more to my throat" (p. 498). As gentle as a two-by-four across the face the author makes it clear that Twilight is a sexually erotic book with teenagers as the target audience.

At Last!

My Italian Wedding Soup-see below!

Well, here we are, one week later! I am happy to report progress on the sleeping front!!! We worked hard all week on trying to keep Emmy on a tighter eat/wake/sleep cycle. And, it's really paid off! She is finally sleeping through the night...YAY!

Now, the issue we have is getting her down before 10:00. She usually takes a feeding between 8-8:30 and goes right down...we are working on this being bedtime. However, she is usually only down for about an hour and wakes up. We allow her to cry for no longer than an hour hoping that she will learn that it's bedtime. We have then gone to her and brought her downstairs. She is pleasant and will play for awhile until she is tired again between 10-10:30. At this point, she nurses and I put her right down. She then sleeps until at least 8:00 and I wake her if she is not up by 8:30.

So, not ideal, but LEAPS and BOUNDS from where we were just a short week ago! Mommy is feeling well rested again...FINALLY!

On another note, I made an incredibly easy Italian Wedding Soup for the fam yesterday and was super surprised at how tasty it came out. Here is the recipe:

1/2 lb. ground beef 6 c. chicken broth

1 egg, beaten 2 c. escarole, thinly sliced (I used collard greens instead)

2 T. bread crumbs 1/2 c. orzo, uncooked

1 T. grated Parm. cheese 1/3 c. shredded carrot

1/2 t. dried basil

1/2 t. onion powder

Combine beef, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion powder; shape into 3/4 inch balls. Heat broth to boiling; stir in escarole, orzo, carrot and meatballs; return to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes or until orzo is tender. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top! YUMMY!

Serves 4-6

The only thing missing was Fabio...

The Twilight series has been a huge pop culture hit. Books have flown off the shelves and there have been long lines at the theaters. This craze has centered around teenage girls, but many adult women are just as fanatical as the young ladies. What is of particular interest is the way this book, authored by Stephanie Meyer, a Mormon, has been circulated through Christian circles. This blog series will examine Twilight, its meaning and its message.

The genre of this book fit perfectly into the romantic fantasy category. Our main character, Bella, has moved in with her father and is an outsider in her new school. She views herself as having no special talents or good looks, but is known for being rather clumsy. She enjoys moving in with her father, mainly because he leaves her alone and does not ask a lot of questions. Sparks begin to fly as she lays her eyes on Edward and his mysterious family. After a brief period of trying to ignore each other, their romance begins. As it begins, Edward repeatedly warns Bella to stay away because he is dangerous. Bella does not heed his less than convincing warnings and the romance continues to bloom. She cannot stay away even after discovering the truth about Edward. Not surprisingly, Bella finds herself in a little bit of life or death danger and, equally unsurprising, Edward saves the day. And the first novel in this 'saga' wraps up with our main characters going to the prom. How cute. The only thing missing was Fabio on the cover.

Sleep Is Good!

Hello Everyone!

It's good to be back, and I am hoping that we are able to keep our blog up to date with family news and happenings. I though I would blog about some of the issues we have been having with sleep, as this is what has been causing me some grief recently!

Addison has always been a wonderful sleeper. I credit much of that to our diligence in using the Babywise Method from birth with her. She started sleeping through the night at 4 weeks old and is still very much a routine 12 hour sleeper. Now, her little sister, on the other hand, has not been as easy to "train."

I'm sure that we are much more relaxed with Emerson, which is to be expected I guess. But, I thought I was doing everything right. Well, needless to say, at 8 months, she is STILL not consistently sleeping through the night!!! Anyone who knows me well KNOWS that I NEED my sleep, so this is not a good situation and I am DETERMINED to find the answer to her sleeping woes. I am praying that the book I just ordered helps. It's called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," and it comes highly recommended from a fellow Babywise mom!

This week, we have worked hard on keeping Emerson on a more strict routine of eating/sleeping. We are being diligent about putting her to bed at a consistent time each night and we seem to be making progress. While she is not sleeping all the way through the night just yet, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Addison has had a few rough nights also, but I attribute most of that to us being busy and getting her to bed WAY past her normal 8:00 bedtime. The other night, when Joe checked her before coming to bed, he found her asleep with her pillow on top of her head and the blanket underneath!!! Too funny!

I'll keep you all posted!

Sweet Dreams,

Melissa

We're Back...

Howdy ya'll. Did you miss us?

We are ready to roll out our new design here at the Canney Family Blog. I now have a co-author, my lovely wife Melissa. Melissa, say hi...

The two of us have agreed to begin to post regularly, as in once a week each. Melissa will be posting about motherhood, being a wife and life in general. My posts will be centered more on Christianity, education and culture. I am going to try to post each Tuesday and Melissa will be finding a day that works good for her.

As a little teaser of what is to come, I have been reading Twilight as part of a deal with a co-worker and I look forward to posting my thoughts on the book here.

Cheers.